Dog Daisies is the project of Lancaster based singer/songwriter, Ste Hudson.
Having just released their debut album – Eagletism – on Bingo Records, we caught up with Ste who talked us through some of his favourite books, music and films from his formative years. These are his Sound and Vision picks – over to you, Ste –
Hello!
I have probably taken this way too seriously…
Three albums that I love and that mean a lot:
Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads*
When I was 13, I was getting a rough time at school and then one day I magically discovered a whole gang of friends playing on a grassy hill (The Mound) at the bottom of the estate. A few of them were older and so cool that they could almost drive; a couple had even reached the quarter-finals of Robot Wars and met Philippa Forrester in the flesh. I could have basically picked about 30 albums from this point in time, but this one will do. Having my spinal column ker-blammowed by a subwoofer in the boot of a Fiat Panda Turbo driving round Blackburn to this as a teenager is the purest, happiest, most exhilarating sensation I will ever experience.
After the Goldrush – Neil Young
This album, which I bought on Burnley Market, is like a massive hug, but from someone who isn’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes. It says, “I’m not going to bullshit you, the world can be dog-tits, but I’m here if you need me.”
It’s a Wonderful Life – Sparklehorse
It was either this or Deserter’s Songs by Mercury Rev. I love both massively, but listen to this one more currently. It is a massive influence on me; the ASMR telephone vocals, weird distorted instruments and keyboards, this album is a scary, lovely, deep, dreamy world for you to explore. Linkous’ lyrics are so good – “I’m the dog who ate the birthday cake”, “Did you lose your fatty in the bath? Did you make the city slickers laugh?” and the guest vocalists are amazing – Nina Persson, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits. I’d love to do an album with guest vocalists one day.
Favourite film – The Big Lebowski
It’s a masterpiece. It’s bloody hilarious. It’s probably most of my friends’ favourite film so I have to choose it. It’s also more uplifting than my other favourite film Zodiac.
Fave Book – Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada
What a bitch of a question. Picking a favourite book is like picking your favourite toe.
I’ve chosen this over Fallada’s The Drinker or a Kurt Vonnegut book because it made me cry more. It’s pitiful and pointless. It sums up all that is precious about life; love, family, standing up for what you believe in but how all these can be rendered meaningless and pathetic against the machine of fascism. To me it highlights how dearly we should treasure these things and how easily they can be lost.
Favourite Song – When I was Your Age by Mammoth Penguins
Again, a ridiculous question.
If I we were still razzing round in that Fiat Panda Turbo, I think we would be listening to this. Each line is a different character and that gives the song an empathetic quality that feels lovely and sad.
It also brings back memories of a great time, when me and my wife Emma were bunking up in a flat above a fabric shop in Lancaster and I was sputtling out tracks for Eagletism. A lot happened around flat-time. We found out we were going to be parents, I was getting to know Ben and playing gigs together, we went on tour with the Thyme Machine and it felt like a really warm family atmosphere with the bands in the area. We put Mammoth Penguins on at the Park Hotel in Lancaster and all felt like rock stars for a night.
Because this question was too hard, here’s some could’ve-maybe-should’ve-beens:
Scott Rudd – Things That I’m Not
British Sea Power – Fear of Drowning
Tiny Ruins – Adelphi Apartments
Kate Bush – Cloudbusting
Bran van 3000 – Drinkin’ in LA
Mercury Rev – Holes
Frankie Cosmos – Floated In
Debussy – Claire de Lune
Songs: Ohia – Farewell Transmission
*Evan Dando’s hands are absolutely enormous in the flesh.
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